Thursday, February 4, 2016

The Eric André Show and Public Access TV

This week, after it being recommended by a friend, I watched The Eric André Show for the first time. This friend had no idea of my plans to produce a public access cooking show, nor did I have a clue that The Eric André Show was a sketch-riddled comedy program parodying public access talk shows. Though when it comes to this style I prefer the tastes of Tim and Eric, I found The Eric André Show funny. I especially liked how genuinely uncomfortable the guests felt during their interviews, which seems to have been part genuine, part editing magic.

Tonight I visited Pegasys, the public access studio mecca in Fall Creek in which we plan on shooting/editing together Baking and Entering. They have one studio that is as wonderfully archaic (i.e. analog-based) as we had hoped. There are generic set pieces, curtains (one chroma), a big chunky TV monitor, plenty of lights, and a tall ladder to shoot from. We set up two cameras, plugged in a mic, and fooled around in the control room. I had fun adapting to this much-older version of boards I learned to operate two years ago.

I can see why Eric André wanted to use analog cameras and film in the style of public access television; there's something thrilling about being "limited" in that sense. It's also fun to borrow/imitate a style that is frequently jabbed at feeling uncreative or boring. I'm excited to make the most of public access television this semester.